Sonny never had a chance with her because she happens to like dating older guys at their school. Dorothy was a clever student. In the 1950’s women were not expected to excel in their education. They didn’t have a future career plan after attending high school. The role of a woman was to be fulfilled by becoming a caring mother, a hard worker at home, a good cook and a perfect wife; education was not a considered a priority. But Dorothy had a desire of becoming a teacher besides being just a mother. She was a very bright student who ended up being the valedictorian of Big Creek. Dorothy was very ambitious as Sonny, but since women didn’t have the same opportunities as men, they most likely end up not achieving what they sought out to accomplish. Her aptitude towards math surpassed that of Sonny’s, but yet she couldn’t become an engineer even if she desired. She put an effort to excel in her education, which for the most part was reserved mainly for men. She challenged the boundaries set up by society. What makes her feminist in the October sky book is she stepped out of the norm expected from women at the time. She studied hard, did well in school, all of which were not expected from a woman.
Overall, October Sky book demonstrates the struggle of women everywhere. There were bound to be women elsewhere striving to push out of the boundaries keeping them away from their dreams and aspirations. These women in the book personified a large movement, a movement that strives for equality, a movement that challenges